Series
Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Computer Science

Permanent Link
https://hdl.handle.net/1853/72276
Series Type
Degree Series
Description
Associated Organization(s)
Associated Organization(s)

Filters
2007 - 2010 4
4
4
4
4
Reset filters

Settings
search.filters.applied.f.advisor: Guzdial, Mark ×

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    A case-based approach for supporting the informal computing education of end-user programmers
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-08-26) Dorn, Brian James
    Software development is no longer a task limited to professionally trained computer programmers. Increasing support for software customization through scripting, the opening of application programmer interfaces on the Web, and a growing need for domain specific application support have all contributed to an increase in end-user programming. Unfortunately, learning to program remains a challenging task, and the majority of end-user programmers lack any formal education in software development. Instead, these users must piece together their understanding of programming through trial and error, examples found online, and help from peers and colleagues. While current approaches to address the difficulties facing end-user programmers seek to change the nature of the programming task, I argue that these challenges often mirror those faced by all novice programmers. Thus, pedagogical solutions must also be explored. This dissertation work investigates the challenges that end-user programmers face from a computer science education perspective. I have engaged in a cycle of learner-centered design to answer the high-level questions: What do users know; what might they need to know; how are they learning; and how might we help users discover and learn what they need or want to know? In so doing, I uniquely frame end-user programming challenges as issues related to knowledge and understanding about computer science. Rather than building new languages or programming tools, I address these difficulties through new types of instructional materials and opportunities for felicitous engagement with them. This work is contextualized within a specific domain of non-traditional programmers: graphic and web designers who write scripts as part of their careers. Through an in-depth, learner-centered investigation of this user population, this dissertation makes five specific contributions: (1) A detailed characterization of graphic and web design end-user programmers and their knowledge of fundamental computing concepts. (2) An analysis of the existing information space that graphic and web designers rely on for help. (3) The implementation of a novel case-based learning aid named ScriptABLE that is explicitly designed to leverage existing user practices while conveying conceptual knowledge about programming. (4) Initial confirmatory evidence supporting case-based learning aids for the informal computing education of web and graphic design end-user programmers. (5) An argument in support of the value of normative computing knowledge among informally trained programmers.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Assessing fundamental introductory computing concept knowledge in a language independent manner
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-08-26) Tew, Allison Elliott
    Measuring student learning is fundamental to any educational endeavor. A primary goal of many computer science education projects is to determine the extent to which a given instructional intervention has had an impact on student learning. However, the field of computing lacks valid and reliable assessment instruments for pedagogical or research purposes. Without such valid assessments, it is difficult to accurately measure student learning or establish a relationship between the instructional setting and learning outcomes. The goal of assessment research in computer science is to have valid ways of measuring student conceptions of fundamental topics, which will enable both research into how understanding of knowledge in the domain develops as well as enable curricular innovation and reform grounded in this knowledge. My dissertation work focused on three questions regarding assessment of introductory concepts in computer science. How can existing test development methods be applied and adapted to create a valid assessment instrument for CS1 conceptual knowledge? To what extent can pseudo-code be used as the mechanism for achieving programming language independence in an assessment instrument? And to what extent does the language independent instrument provide a valid measure of CS1 conceptual knowledge? I developed the Foundational CS1 (FCS1) Assessment instrument, the first assessment instrument for introductory computer science concepts that is applicable across a variety of current pedagogies and programming languages. I applied methods from educational and psychological test development, adapting them as necessary to fit the disciplinary context. I conducted think aloud interviews and a large scale empirical study to demonstrate that pseudo-code was an appropriate mechanism for achieving programming language independence. Student participants were able to read and reason in the pseudo-code syntax without difficulty and were able to transfer conceptual knowledge from their CS1 programming language to pseudo-code. Finally, I established the validity of the assessment using a multi-faceted argument, combining interview data, statistical analysis of results on the assessment, and exam scores. The contributions of this research are: (1) An example of how to bootstrap the process for developing the first assessment instrument for a disciplinary specific design-based field. (2) Identification that although it may not be possible to correlate scores between computer science exams created with different measurement goals, the validity claims of the individual assessments are not diminished. (3) A demonstration that novice computing students, at an appropriate level of development, can transfer their understanding of fundamental concepts to pseudo-code notation. (4) A valid assessment of introductory computing concepts for procedurally-based introductory computing courses taught in Java, Matlab, or Python at the university level.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Storytelling for digital photographs: supporting the practice, understanding the benefit
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009-08-25) Landry, Brian Michael
    The emergence of digital capture and editing technologies make providing a more detailed and coherent description of the experiences depicted in photos possible. Through the combination of photos, music and voice, people can compose digital stories of their life experiences. However, communicating an experience using photos to people who do not share the experience, and are not co-located is a difficult endeavor, even with effective digital editing tools. In this dissertation, I studied the online photo communication challenges that have arisen as a result of the transition from film to digital photography. I detail my studies of consumer desires and barriers related to online photo communication. Also, I present the design and user evaluation of the Storytellr system, which addresses those desires and barriers. The Storytellr system integrates storytelling activities with traditional photo activities to reduce the challenges of online photo communication. Through this work I contribute to the understanding of the challenges encountered by consumers who desire to engage in sharing life stories through photos over distance. I also contribute a method - integrating storytelling activities into photo activities - for enabling people to overcome those challenges using a process they find satisfying, and that produces an outcome that satisfies authors and viewers alike.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Personal Home Pages in Academia: The Medium, its Adopters, and their Practices
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007-04-19) Rick, Jochen
    Personal home pages are outgrowing their playful beginnings to serve serious purposes. At the forefront of this emergence is academia, where they are becoming a meaningful way for researchers to engage each other. Yet, the medium is still in its infancy: The medium, its adopters, and their practices are unduly constrained by current technology. To better study the meaning and use of personal home pages in academia, I created the AniAniWeb personal-home-page system to loosen these constraints. AniAniWeb applies wiki technology to facilitate easy editing, to enable interaction, and to focus the user on content creation. Others began adopting AniAniWeb in fall 2003. This dissertation centers on a case study of six graduate students and their experience with AniAniWeb over a period of two years. Their practices are viewed through three analytical lenses. Media theory focuses on the technology. Communities of practice focuses on the social context. Core identity theory focuses on the individual. When combined, these frameworks lead to a rich understanding of personal home pages in academia. Based on observations and interviews, issues of design, technology, meaning, and use are addressed.